On the day when the second floor of the academy was opened, Qinghuan received a letter from Master Qishan.

The letter was forwarded by Master Huang Yang. After reading the letter, Qinghuan was silent for a long time and then left Wanyan Pagoda.

Master Qishan didn't say anything else in the letter, except to ask Qinghuan to take a trip to the Far North Wasteland.

The problem is, Qinghuan had been away from Washan for nearly ten years, and Master Qishan had never written to him. Now he suddenly wrote to him, asking him to go to the Far North Wasteland... a place far away from Washan!

The Yue Kingdom where Washan is located is at the southernmost end, and the Far North Wasteland is at the northernmost end, with the entire Haotian world in between!
If it was just an ordinary trouble, Master Qishan would not write a letter. If it was a big trouble that Lanke Temple could not handle and there was no danger, Master Qishan would tell him the truth.

But now he uses the wasteland as an excuse to keep Qing Huan away from Washan...

The eyes of the entire Chang'an were focused on the south of the city, all paying attention to the examination on the second floor of the academy. Qinghuan just leisurely left Chang'an from the east gate and disappeared.

……

Washan, on the cliff of Lanke Temple.

Master Qishan looked a little pale and sickly. He was wrapped in a thick cotton coat and sat in the pavilion with a chessboard in front of him.

Opposite him sat a middle-aged man with his back straight, making him look like a sword drawn from its sheath. It was none other than Liu Bai, the most powerful swordsman in the world.

Liu Bai not only looks like a sword, but his words are also like an unstoppable sword, sonorous and powerful: "He's back!"

Master Qishan sighed slightly and said, "Why bother!"

Liu Bai said: "You and I both know that what you wrote in the letter is not important. His own choice is important. Since he chose to come back, it is equivalent to handing his weakness to the master of the temple."

Master Qishan was silent for a moment, then said, "How could a little boy like him attract so much attention from the master? Even you have to leave the house!"

Liu Bai said: "Because of what he said."

"What?"

"He said..." Liu Bai paused and said, "He practices Buddhism in order to become a Buddha himself!"

Master Qishan lowered his eyelids.

Liu Bai continued, "This is a remarkable realization! When one practices to the end, one will tend towards the absolute self. Those who practice Taoism will doubt Taoism, and those who practice Buddhism will doubt Buddhism... What they practice is not Buddha, but themselves!
Everyone says that those people on the second floor of the academy have no faith. In fact, this is wrong. They have faith, but they believe in the truth in their hearts. That’s why the academy is very powerful!

Other monks cultivate the Buddha of Buddha, but Qing Huan cultivates the Buddha in his own heart... Although he is a monk, he is walking the same path as those people on the second floor of the academy!"

Master Qishan was silent for a moment, then said, "So Master, do you think that his path is wrong?"

"No, quite the opposite!"

Liu Bai said solemnly: "This is the road to the second floor of the academy. It is the master's road, my road, Liu Bai's road, and also the abbot's road... His road is correct, but his age is wrong! He is too young!"

Master Qishan smiled bitterly and said, "When did age become a mistake?"

Liu Bai paused and said, "The Master will die sooner or later. Without the Master, the academy cannot have another Qing Huan! The master values ​​him very much!"

Master Qishan smiled and said, "We all know that when one reaches the Master's level of cultivation, one's life span can be said to be almost infinite. But the strange thing is that everyone believes that the Master will die sooner or later... Isn't it very strange!"

Liu Bai said: "Because this is Haotian's intention! Haotian believes that the Master will die sooner or later, so we under Haotian also believe that the Master will die sooner or later!

The Master led the academy to fight against Haotian, and the master does not want Qinghuan to be the next Master. "

Master Qishan laughed and said, "The master is afraid of Qinghuan, just like he is afraid of the Master!"

Liu Bai did not refute, but just sighed and said: "He is too young! Being young is scary, even scarier than Ke Haoran!"

"Qing Huan is not Ke Haoran."

"Ke Haoran only has one sword, but what Qinghuan did in Yuelun Country proves that he is much more terrifying than Ke Haoran's sword!"

……

The extreme northern wilderness, beside the hot sea.

The old ox pulled the carriage and stopped on the side. Li Manman was cutting a peony fish very slowly and seriously.

The Master had already picked up the chopsticks and poured soy sauce on it. Li slowly cut off a piece, and the Master picked up a piece, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth, with a look of enjoyment on his face, saying: "The peony fish in this season is the most delicious!"

Li Manman said: "Teacher, are you just going to let me go back like this?"

The Master said, "If he wants to go back, how can anyone stop him?"

Li Manman worriedly asked, "Isn't it too early to face Liu Bai now?"

"What do you mean early? This little monk is always sneaky and cunning, and he has a lot of plans in his mind!"

The Master put down his chopsticks and said, "Do you remember when you asked the little monk what he saw when you first met him at Washan, and what did he answer?"

Li Manman said without hesitation: "The Zen mind is like the sea, it can accommodate everything!"

The teacher pointed to the hot sea beside him and said, "What is the sea? It has no boundaries. The sea is boundless! What is boundless? It has no end and is difficult to count!" Li Manman was stunned for a moment, a little unbelievable, and said, "Teacher means... Junior Brother..."

The Master snorted and said, "When the young monk broke through the third realm, he had already comprehended the realm of "infinite" of the Buddhist sect. That is the realm above the five realms of the Buddhist sect. As long as he is willing, he can break through the five realms and enter the infinite at any time!"

Li Manman was shocked and asked, "How old was your junior brother at that time?"

"Otherwise, how could his rag-like robes be able to hide so many things? Isn't it the power of 'infinite'?"

The Master said dissatisfiedly: "He wears the 'Wuliang' on his body, but his heart is still empty. The little monk's understanding is very scary. He spent three days reading the 'Buqiyi' and 'Haoranyi' in the academy. Do you think that if he doesn't understand, can it be considered that he has finished reading?"

Li thought about it slowly and said, "Brother, is he planning to use "Infinite" and "Infinite Distance" to break through the fifth realm?"

The Master shook his head and said, "He has a big heart. Didn't you hear him say that? A Zen heart is like the sea, which can accommodate everything! Whether it is "immeasurable" or "infinite", it is not enough to fill his Zen heart!"

"So what does Junior Brother want?"

"How should I know? Just watch!"

The master said impatiently: "Don't stop, cut it quickly, I am waiting to eat it!"

……

In the south of Chang'an, Ning Que was like a dark horse. Beyond everyone's expectations, he defeated Prince Longqing and successfully got a place on the second floor of the academy.

From then on, Ning Que became Mr. Thirteen on the second floor of the academy, the master's personal disciple!
After a night's rest, Ning Que, under the guidance of Mr. Twelve Chen Pipi, got to know the other brothers on the second floor of the academy one by one.

After introducing Ning Que to each other, Chen Pipi said, "Big Brother is out with the Master and is not in the academy now. In addition to the twelve of us, you have another big brother."

Ning Que was surprised and asked, "From the eldest senior brother to you, the twelfth senior brother, they are all full?"

Chen Pipi puffed out his belly and said, "This senior brother is not in the ranking, but he has received guidance from the master!

Under Haotian, there are many people who have been instructed by the Master, but this senior brother is the most special one. He was personally recruited by the Master to the back mountain of the academy and has greeted the other senior brothers... So, he is really your senior brother!"

Ning Que thought for a moment and asked, "Is he a monk?"

Chen Pipi looked at him in surprise and said, "Do you know him? His name is Qing Huan, and he is indeed a monk."

Ning Que exhaled and said, "I have long felt that the monk is extraordinary. You call yourself a genius, but the monk explains many principles of cultivation more clearly than you do!"

"I...I...Of course I'm a genius!"

Chen Pipi shook the fat on his face in frustration, and finally said dejectedly: "But Senior Brother Qinghuan is a monster! Even Second Senior Brother admits this."

Ning Que's eyes widened: "Second Senior Brother is so proud, but he admits that Qing Huan is a monster?"

Chen Pipi thought for a moment and said, "During the mountain climbing test yesterday, you, at the Unconfused Realm, almost lost your life. Long Qing, who is at the upper level of the Profound Cave Realm, also had a very difficult time climbing... Senior Brother Qing Huan, who is also at the Unconfused Realm, has also climbed the mountain. Do you know how he did it?"

Ning Que asked curiously, "How did he leave?"

Chen Pipi gestured with his fingers and said, "He just walked up step by step like this."

Ning Que was speechless and said, "Who among us didn't climb up step by step?"

"It's different. You guys are just crawling around!"

Chen Pipi shook his head and said, "Except for the stone steps behind the wooden door, he walked a little slower. Otherwise, he walked just like a normal person. He walked all the way to the top with ease, without even a speck of dirt on his body!"

Ning Que was astonished. He had walked the mountain climbing route himself and felt the difficulty and danger. He couldn't help but wonder, "He is also in the state of no confusion. How did he do it?"

Chen Pipi shook his head and said, "Master and the eldest brother understand, and the second brother seems to understand a little bit, but the others don't understand at all."

Ning Que thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask him later. He lives with me anyway."

Chen Pipi glanced at him and said, "Senior Brother Qinghuan has already left Chang'an."

Ning Que was stunned: "Gone? Where did he go?"

Chen Pipi said: "I don't know. Otherwise, with Xiling's power, how could they not find him in the past ten years... But Second Senior Brother said that he should return to Washan. Second Senior Brother also said that he admired Senior Brother Qinghuan's choice."

"What do you mean?"

"The realm is too high, we don't understand."

"Tell me about Senior Brother Qing Huan."

"Brother Qinghuan, the people in Yuelun Country call him the "Demon Monk"..."

"Well, that monk is indeed quite a monster."

"Are you still listening?"

"Listen, listen, listen. Keep talking..." (End of this chapter)